Kazuto Arase
Kazuto Arase ( Arase Kazuto) is a hitman who served as a sergeant of the Nishikiyama Family and founded the anti-yakuza group called the Reapers. History Yakuza 1 / Yakuza Kiwami Arase had fatally wounded his own oath brother Shinji Tanaka and killed Reina because the latter two conspired against his superior. When Kiryu arrived at the rooftop where he would meet Shinji, he not only saw his sworn brother in a wounded condition, but also Arase gleefully bringing in Reina's corpse. Kiryu then personally confronted Arase, with the gunman bringing Nishikiyama Family grunts with him. However, Kiryu emerged victorious but not before witnessing Shinji die. Yakuza 3 Arase was expelled from the Nishikiyama Family for failing to kill Kiryu, and his former comrades treated him with disdain. Because of this, he decided to form the Reapers, a group of hitmen composed of disgraced yakuza with the ultimate goal of taking revenge on Kiryu. Kiryu later encountered him again a few years since Shinji's death, whereupon the former sergeant of the Nishikiyama Family blamed the Dragon of Dojima for Arase's miserable life. After Kiryu defeated the gunslinger and his second-in-command, Arase disbanded the Avengers and vowed to have another duel with Kiryu. Non-canon appearances Yakuza: Dead Souls Arase appears in Kiryu's portion of the game. Kiryu can choose to rescue him, who will decide to team up with the Dragon of Dojima as his partner only for the duration of the zombie outbreak, after which he'll go back to having his duel with Kiryu as he promised two years ago. Appearance In all of the games that he currently appears in, Arase wears a red trenchcoat (which is given a purplish tinge in his Kiwami redesign), a black dress shirt, a pair of black slacks, and black dress shoes. He also wears gold-rimmed, red-tinted eyeglasses. Personality During his time in the Nishikiyama Family, Arase's ruthlessness and insanity often cause many of his own sworn brothers to keep a sizable distance from him. By the time he founded the Avengers, he became vengeful towards both his former yakuza family and Kiryu, blaming the latter on the gunslinger's misfortunes. Fighting Style Arase simultaneously wields two pistols when encountered in battle. Sometimes, he'll shoot a volley of bullets from both of his pistols as a special move. Arase is also very skilled in close combat using his acrobatic skills to create space between him and his opponent by giving an advantage for him to use his guns, often doing backflips to dodge Kiryu's physical attacks towards him. In both of his boss battles he brings his henchmen with him; in the first game and Kiwami, he has a bunch of Nishikiyama Family soldiers protecting him, while in Yakuza 3, only his second-in-command Shinzaki fights with him. Trivia * In Yakuza 3, Arase can be optionally encountered in the Hitman sidequest after defeating the other 19 hitmen who are part of the Avengers. He is revealed to be the founder of the Avengers group and later disbands it after he is defeated by Kiryu. The reward for defeating him is ¥300,000 and the Muramasa Blade. * In Yakuza: Dead Souls, Arase can become a partner for Kazuma Kiryu and has a three-part substory involving him called Arase Returns. Gallery Yakuza Kazuto Arase 01.jpg|Body Render Kazuto Arase.jpg Kazuto Arase (Yakuza 1) 02.jpg Kazutoarasey1.jpg Yakuza: Dead Souls Kazuto Arase 03.jpg|Body render Ryu ga Gotoku Online N_Kazuto_Arase_Card.png|N Arase card from Ryu ga Gotoku Online Category:Gary’s Boot Camp Category:Yakuza Bosses Category:Yakuza Kiwami Bosses Category:Yakuza 3 Bosses Category:Tojo Clan Category:Nishikiyama Family Category:Antagonists